Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

"Paul Terry" wrote in message


Ah! Was it road heating to stop ice formation?

Yes indeedy powered by two generators one either side of the road.



--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

"Troy Steadman" wrote in message
news:fdc7a8b752b707a4555becb9c9f5bbf9.125090@mygat e.mailgate.org...
"Paul Terry" wrote in message


Ah! Was it road heating to stop ice formation?

Yes indeedy powered by two generators one either side of the road.

Ah! So it wasn't the device itself (the road heating) that was noisy. It was
merely the means of powering it. I was going to suggest something along
these lines but I thought "that's not noisy". If they'd powered it from the
National Grid then it would have been silent.

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

Tony Bryer wrote in message ...
In article ,
Troy Steadman wrote:
The Hook Underpass was the first of its type in the country,
there is even a model of it in the Science Museum, but one
innovative feature it had when first built didn't catch on
and was quickly removed.

Clue: it was noisy.

White ceramic tiled walls?

It's amazing that this underpass was built c.1960 whilst just up
the road there were traffic lights at South Lane until the
mid-late 1970's: they were removed when the Malden underpass was
built. A work colleague of mine lived by that junction and kept
a crowbar by the front door ready for the next accident.

Has the Hook underpass always had the layout it has now where lane 1
diverges off from the rest of the road? Also, has it always had the
slip roads to/from the A3 on the London side only? i.e. have you
always had to drive from Hook to Esher to go towards Pompey if you
were not already on the A3?

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

"CIG_BIG_CIG" wrote in message
m...

Has the Hook underpass always had the layout it has
now where lane 1 diverges off from the rest of the road?

Could you elaborate for those of us who don't know it intimately?

Also, has it always had the slip roads to/from the A3 on the
London side only? i.e. have you always had to drive from Hook
to Esher to go towards Pompey if you were not already on the A3?

The Hook underpass predates the Esher Bypass by some years, so your question
doesn't entirely make sense. But I believe it has been the way it is now
since the Esher Bypass was built. As a child in the 1970s I noticed from
maps that the Hook junction was the only "wrongly designed" junction in
London, because it was blindingly obvious that the Esher Bypass should have
access to and from the Hook roundabout, and the Esher road (A309) should
lose access to (and possibly from) the Hook underpass. I have never found
out why it is the way it is.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

In article , John Rowland
wrote:
As a child in the 1970s I noticed from
maps that the Hook junction was the only "wrongly designed"
junction in London, because it was blindingly obvious that the
Esher Bypass should have access to and from the Hook roundabout,
and the Esher road (A309) should lose access to (and possibly
from) the Hook underpass. I have never found out why it is the
way it is.

I think it was something to do with restricting traffic down through
Chessington. IIRC M25 does not appear on any of the signs there
although it's a natural route if you're heading S or SE

--
Tony Bryer

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

Troy Steadman wrote:

It isn't a tunnel, it's a roundabout on top of the A3 in a cutting,
nowadays a very ordinary intersection but in it's time quite something.
As was the "Ace of Spades" roadhouse on the old roundabout which had not
only a swimming pool but also an airfield.

An airfield!? Where was that then?

The Ace of Spades had a major fire many many years ago and AFAIK the
only thing that's left is the facade, still with a metal ace symbol
sticking out of the front. The back of the building is a semi-modern
warehouse type building connected to the shop unit next door. It was a
dinner-dance place for a long while but is now a large golf warehouse.

Incidently, my school was next door to the Ace of Spades roundabout.

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

CIG_BIG_CIG wrote:

Has the Hook underpass always had the layout it has now where lane 1
diverges off from the rest of the road? Also, has it always had the
slip roads to/from the A3 on the London side only? i.e. have you
always had to drive from Hook to Esher to go towards Pompey if you
were not already on the A3?

No, originally the A3 carried on along what is now the A309 and the Hook
Underpass was just a normal roundabout with slip roads on to the A3 at
both ends.

If you travel along the slip road from the A309 onto the roundabout
(eastbound) you can see the the embankment that used to carry the A3
Kingston by pass before it was diverted onto the Esher By-pass. It's now
grassed over - but still has a bridge over a small stream.

If you aren't already on the A3 but want to go southbound on it there's
no need to go via Esher a better way is to go the other way to Tolworth
and back down again or via Chessington/Oxshot

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

Stuart wrote to uk.transport.london on Sun, 31 Oct 2004:

CIG_BIG_CIG wrote:

Has the Hook underpass always had the layout it has now where lane 1
diverges off from the rest of the road? Also, has it always had the
slip roads to/from the A3 on the London side only? i.e. have you
always had to drive from Hook to Esher to go towards Pompey if you
were not already on the A3?

No, originally the A3 carried on along what is now the A309 and the
Hook Underpass was just a normal roundabout with slip roads on to the
A3 at both ends.

When I was little, one of our landmarks en route was the "Scilly Isles"
roundabout - as a very small girl, I had absolutely no idea where we
were when we were there, if that makes sense. So, last year, we dropped
a friend off in Hampton, and took the A309 back to the A3. I was
drowsing after a long day out - and snapped awake in a hurry when we got
to that roundabout! I still can't quite see how that was once on the
A3, but talk about reviving long-lost memories.....!
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 26 September 2004

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

"Mrs Redboots" wrote in message
...

the "Scilly Isles" roundabout -
I still can't quite see how that was once on the A3

No? Look at a map, and imagine a time when the Esher Bypass hadn't yet been
built. The Scilly Isles was then on the A3.

Then imagine that it is even earlier, and the Kingston Bypass hasn't been
built either. The Scilly Isles was on the A3 then as well.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

Trivia: Hook Underpass (Ace of Spades)
 

John Rowland wrote to uk.transport.london on Sun, 31 Oct 2004:

"Mrs Redboots" wrote in message
...

the "Scilly Isles" roundabout -
I still can't quite see how that was once on the A3

No? Look at a map, and imagine a time when the Esher Bypass hadn't yet been
built. The Scilly Isles was then on the A3.

Then imagine that it is even earlier, and the Kingston Bypass hasn't been
built either. The Scilly Isles was on the A3 then as well.

I don't remember before the Kingston Bypass!
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 26 September 2004